Fiction writer, poet, and musician Mark Russell Gelade celebrates the release of his new, debut short story collection, Navigating by Stars: 24 Very Short Stories of Love and Longing, stories centered around desire, divorce, nostalgia for the past, and consolation, Green Apple Books on the Park, 1231 9th Avenue, San Franciso, free, 7:30 (415/742-5833, www.greenapplebooks.com)